First Containership Retrofitted to Run on LNG

Since May 2017, the 1,000 TEU containership Wes Amelie, owned by Wessels Reederei based in Harem/Ems, has undergone an engine conversion at the German Dry Docks in Bremerhaven, and from this point forward will run on LNG fuel.

Experts from the Hamburg based company Nauticor were selected to conduct the vessel’s initial LNG bunkering at the Kühlhauskai in the Port of Bremerhaven. In total, four trucks of LNG were brought to the German port and transferred to the vessel.

“Due to the smooth cooperation between the ship’s crew, the bremenports team and our experienced specialists, the initial bunkering was a complete success,” said Sonja Neßhöver, Director of the LNG Portfolio at Nauticor.

The conversion was supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and will likely be extended to other ships in the fleet. Wes Amelie, like its 15 identical sister ships, is operating intensively on the feeder routes between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. 

Mahinde Abeynaike, Managing Director Nauticor, said, “With the conversion of Wes Amelie, Wessels Reederei has become a pioneer in establishing LNG as fuel for containerships. We are happy to support that effort and are looking forward to future cooperation, taking into consideration that our second LNG bunker vessel will start operations in Northwest Europe next year with a focus on customers in North Sea and Baltic Sea.”